Will the Feds continue ‘sabre-rattling’ on the 95% participation rate?

Up to this point, no state has ever lost one single penny from the Federal Government due to the failure of meeting the 95% participating rate on annual assessments. The sabre-rattling was very prominent under former Secretary Arne Duncan and John King. It remains to be seen what approach the DeVos administration will take.

You may recall the following story about issued letters back in December 2015.

Whalen’s Dec. 22, 2015 memo followed a series of individual requests for improvement plans from states at risk of falling short of the threshold in 2014-15. Letters went out to California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.

Most states responded with plans that stressed improving communication with parents and teachers about the importance of assessments. Several promised to downgrade a district or school’s rating should they miss participation targets, or revoke eligibility for recognition awards, according to responses obtained by The Associated Press. None of the plans appeared to carry any financial consequence.

This also brought about a stern reaction from AFT President, Randi Weingarten.